Colorado Scientific Instruments

This antique three-draw telescope dates to the 19th century. Solidly crafted with brass draws and a brass barrel wrapped in leather, this antique telescope is a beautiful example of ...

Presented is a vintage Elgin railroad kerosene lantern, with a clear glass globe and wire caging. The lantern was originally used on the Chicago Auro...

Presented is a vintage Underwood Standard Typewriter No. 5 model. Made in the United States in 1924, this glorious black and gold typewriter is the most successful of the early Underwood typewriter models. The No. 5 would look fantastic in a study, on a bookshelf, or in an office. The Underwood typewriter is the creation of German-American inventor Franz X. Wagner. In the early 1890s, Wagner, who had already designed earlier typing machines...

Presented is a Victorian-era gimballed compass by Wilcox, Crittenden & Co. of Middletown, Connecticut. The brass compass is beautifully constructed and fitted in its original wooden lidded box. The compass is mounted on a 360-degree brass gimbal ring system. The gimbal ring design allows the compass to remain level regardless of the angle of the base or how much the ship may have pitched or rolled on the open waters. The compass card is black and white and is marked with the Wilcox, Crittenden & Co. monogram at true north. The company that would eventually become Wilcox, Crittenden & Co. was first established by Eldridge H. Penfield and his uncle Ira Penfiels in 1847 in Middletown, Connecticut. Middletown was New England;s largest inland port. Eldridge Penfield is famous for first conceiving of a metal grommet to replace rope grommets used by sailors. The Penfields hired Walter Wilcox, cousin to Eldridge Penfield, to operate the hand stamping tool that fabricated the metal grommets. As steamships gradually replaced sailing, the company’s expanded their line to make and sell all sorts of nautical hardware and instruments. Their 1870 catalog offered such varying products as shackles, thimbles, ring bolts, “Ereful whistles,” engine-room signals, boat nails...

This is an exceptional 20th century WWII German 12x60 observation binocular, presented on an adjustable wooden tripod. The binoculars were manufactured by the company Carl Zeiss. Carl Zeiss is a German manufacturer of optical systems, founded in Jena, Germany in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss. These binoculars were used for long-watch land and sky observation by German forces between 1939 and 1945. The binoculars were ruggedly constructed to withstand the rigors of field service. They were used for various tasks, including daylight observation of enemy troop movements, directing fire from artillery toward advancing enemy troops and armor, directing fire at enemy aircraft, and night observation. The angle of the binoculars allowed the observer to sustain watch for long periods of time. The angle also permitted a necessary versatility, as the watchman was able to perform both higher aerial observation and observation of enemy troops on the same visual plane as the watchman. The wartime code for this binocular, “blc”, is engraved on the side of the binocular. “blc” is the secret manufacturing code assigned to Zeiss by the German Army Ordnance Department. The use of the “blc” code instead of the company’s normal logo on the side was a precautionary one, to ensure the secrecy of factory production should the binocular fall into enemy hands. World War II binoculars are true military weapons, designed for defense and reconnaissance. They were never designed for civilian use, and were constructed without cost in mind, as the reliability of the optics far outweighed the monetary cost. The eyepieces can be adjusted for focus and the distance between your eyes with a turn of a knob, as can the shade settings for the lenses. This particular binocular also possesses sun filters. It was a known military tactic to fly in line with the sunlight and filters helped to cut the glare of the sun to increase plane and bomber tracking. This stunning antique...

Well known balance maker, Henry Troemner, from Philadelphia crafted this marble top scale. It was made prior to his death, likely between 1844 and 1852. It has the original two brass...